


Wanted

by damagectrl



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Heartbreak, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Loneliness, M/M, Multi, Multiple Partners, No Sex, Post-Series, Romance, Sad, Sad with a Happy Ending, Threesome - F/M/M, hella angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:07:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25277416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/damagectrl/pseuds/damagectrl
Summary: He thought he’d be able to live out the rest of his life peacefully in some backwater village on the Swiss border after his father was revealed to be Hawkmoth.  Too ashamed and fearful to return, Adrien spent 10 years trying to forget his past when Luka appears, having spent the better part of two years trying to track him down.When Adrien refuses to listen to Luka and return to Paris, Marinette shows up.  While her presence reminds him of feelings he thought he’d buried, Adrien still won’t dare return to the place where his life fell apart.  However, she leaves him a small parting gift that may just send him back to Paris and to them.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 21
Kudos: 144





	Wanted

Calling the small, picturesque Alpine village a two hour walk away from his cabin a ‘town’ was generous. It was a small cluster of homes and shops that, on a good day, catered to random motorists driving through to and from the Swiss or Italian borders. For those who lived outside the village, on the surrounding mountains, it was where they came when they needed goods the surrounding mountains couldn’t provide.

Or in his case, prepare on his own.

The remote location nestled by the Alps and closer to Switzerland than Paris was a change for him. Gone were the tall buildings, streets congested with vehicles, and throngs of tourists. The convenience of all the stores and transport were also a distant memory, but a trek to the small village once a week was worth the cost of isolation.

There, no one knew him, or rather, who he was. 

The village didn’t know Adrien Agreste or the stigma that name held. The village didn’t ask about his past or why a formerly young man in designer clothing showed up one day, unsure how to buy fruit or a cut of meat without double checking instructions on his smartphone. A few little old ladies were curious, but he gave them a suitable answer that quelled their curiosity.

His late grandfather had passed away and left him a small, dilapidated cabin higher up the mountain. 

It was a cover, of course. 

He had no such grandfather. And he purchased the cheapest cabin he could with what remained of his money after the government and law enforcement rightfully seized his father’s company and holdings, including their home.

Not that he wanted to stay there any longer. Not only did his father turn it into a prison to keep him under control, but it was the place where he lost both his parents. He couldn’t stay there, even if he wanted to. 

He couldn’t remain in Paris, either. News blared on any screen echoed the horrendous deeds of his father and the tragic loss of his mother; called a casualty in the last battle. 

Hawkmoth terrorized the city for years before he was finally defeated and unmasked on the iconic tower, lost in madness. The moment Ladybug ripped off the butterfly shaped brooch from his cravat, the masked lunatic was revealed to be Gabriel Agreste. He was a famous and influential person; the city knew who he was in an instant. All Chat Noir could do was stand there, white and trembling beneath his black catsuit. 

Everything began to make sense. Why his father had that book. Why his father was so secretive. Even Nathalie’s actions began to come together. 

He vaguely recalled Ladybug’s shocked face or the horror and devastation on Carapace’s and the others. He could almost hear their thoughts out loud: Gabriel Agreste was their friend, Adrien’s, father, and none of them knew that he was standing there with them, discovering the truth. 

“Chat!” He had fallen off the tower, unaware that he was teetering until she saw Ladybug toss a cuffed Gabriel to Carapace before diving after him with one arm flinging her yoyo and the other reaching for him. 

He had been severely wounded during the fight and his uncharacteristic fall was blamed on that. Ladybug carried him somewhere safe, where he could detransform in peace and swore her charm would make everything better. 

But for all it could do, for all the buildings it could rebuild, for all the akuma it could purify...it could not bring back the dead. 

Everyone told him that it wasn’t his fault. That he didn’t know. 

And he didn’t, but ignorance didn’t change what happened.

He also knew that one way or another, whether he liked it or not, he was connected to the most hated man in Paris. 

Simply existing was an offense. 

His friends rallied around him as best as they could, but Adrien knew that he’d negatively affect them just by association. He couldn’t do that to the people he loved. 

His father and Nathalie were arrested amid a flurry of camera flashes. 

Adrien took what money had saved and gave it to his bodyguard, apologizing for not being able to do more and thanking him for protecting him when he could. He then let him go.

The press surrounded the flat Adrien holed himself in to get out of the public eye. He was losing his mind and didn’t want anyone to see and think him like his father. He refused to see anyone. 

Not Nino, who begged to see him and keep him company.

Not Kagami, whose mother banned her from meeting with him.

Not Chloe, who was forced to distance herself because of her parents’ careers.

The two who dared to come around and somehow get through the wall of reporters were Luka and Marinette. He should’ve known that they, for what they were to him, wouldn’t care that he was ignoring them. They didn’t bother to ask to come, they simply left food and drink at his door, then would send him a message afterwards to tell him they did so and that they wanted to see him. 

Of all people, he couldn’t bring himself to be in their presence. He’d break down if he was caught in the slightest bit of support and unleash his burden on the two who he loved most.

But the life of a man trapped in his own fears, perpetuated by what was happening around him, was leading him down a dark path. For all his thoughts, Adrien knew he needed to leave before the strain made him crazy, like his father, or worse. 

At his mother’s burial, he attended as Chat Noir and watched as she was entombed from the top of a nearby mausoleum. He sat there, numb to the rain as the spectators - he wouldn’t call them mourners - left. 

That was where _she_ found him. 

And where he slipped off his ring and handed it to her, revealing his identity to an unprepared partner. 

The look on Ladybug’s face broke his heart. There was shock and pity...and then a pain the mask couldn’t cover. The ache he felt when she started crying and reached for him was more than what he felt in days. 

It was the first time he moved away from her embrace. 

“I just need to be alone right now,” he said as she tried to reason with him. She looked worried and he forced a smile, if only to ease her mind. “I’m not going to do anything drastic, I swear. I just need to get away...for awhile.” 

He was lying. He wanted to disappear. 

“You’ll come back, right?” A small voice, usually so confident and playful, sounded scared. “Right, Adrien?”

Plagg floated in front of him with a look begging for him to confirm. 

“Sure, Plagg.” His words didn’t reach his eyes and he could see Plagg’s eyes weld up with tears. There was guilt in his big yellow-green eyes and Adrien wanted to tell him it wasn’t his fault. Plagg did everything he could to try to ease his pain, even if nothing worked. The kwami didn’t leave his side once.

“Then,” Ladybug said as her small hands gathered his and squeezed them. “I’ll hold on to this until you return. Just promise me you won’t....” She trailed off, but he understood what she was implying. He kept the pained smile on his face and nodded. 

She swallowed hard and lowered her eyes. She clenched the Miraculous ring in her hand and held it against her chest. 

“I’m sorry.” The words came out of his mouth and he wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. Was it for returning the ring? For making her beautiful face look as if the world had ended? For existing? 

“Just come back,” she said. He could still hear the tight rasp in her formerly cheerful voice. “Your friends...I...we all want you here.” 

He nodded, again smiling in hopes she’d feel better. She stepped back, his hands sliding from hers, before swinging away to give him time alone. 

Adrien left Paris that night, leaving behind a note in his apartment for Luka and Marienette to find telling them he was going away for some time, if only to reassure them that he didn’t have some death wish. 

He had not returned since.

That was where the small village and his small, one story cabin came in. He did his best to try to fix it and prepare it for his first winter. Luckily, some of the old folks also living up the mountain helped him, the city boy. 

There, he was Monsieur Leblanc. He was a young man who just wanted to get back to nature; a trend amongst the younger generation one of the villagers told him. Nothing about him seemed out of the ordinary and he did his best to blend in.

He only took the most plain of his clothes; things suitable for rural living. No suits or ties or fancy pointed leather shoes. Everything he modeled in, he left behind to be liquidated by his lawyer. As soon as everything was taken care of in Paris, he cut ties with his lawyer as well. He didn’t want anyone finding out where he was.

He only kept the bare essentials and if he needed something he couldn’t get in the village, he’d ask the family that ran the small local goods shop to order it for him. 

Though, he tried to do that as infrequently as possible. Even after ten years, he was worried that the press would find him and hound him. 

That was why when he reached the dirty walkway leading to his modest, now renovated cabin, and saw a tall figure with a black brimmed hat peering through his windows, fear shot through him. 

His bag of groceries almost hit the ground as he stopped and stared. A tall man in a black leather jacket and dark pants was moving around one of his front windows, appearing to try to look inside. A rented mid-sized car was parked not far away, closer to the road. Why didn’t he take it as the warning it was and leave before catching sight of the man. 

He’d grown accustomed to his simple life. He was too comfortable and now he was faced with a reminder that he was, though he forgot, hiding.

Adrien’s mind raced with options. He could always turn around and hide in the nearby woods until the man left. Perhaps he could go to one of his neighbors and have them tell the man to leave, although the nearest one was half an hour’s walk down the direction he came. Before he could make up his mind, the man at the window turned around.

His heart shot up to his throat and Adrien was tempted to drop his bags and run, as irrational as it was. Somehow, he stood his ground. Or was too afraid to move. 

“Excuse me,” the man said as he began to approach him. His voice was low and smooth. Familiar with Adrien’s ears. “I’m sorry to bother you, sir, but do you know of a Monsieur Agreste living in the area?”

He could see the man’s shocks of dark hair against his pale skin beneath his hat. Adrien swallowed as his eyes met the stranger’s blue ones. 

How did they find him? After ten years of no contact, _how_?

“Luka?” 

The man stopped at once. He stiffened and narrowed his eyes as they looked Adrien up and down, as if trying to confirm his suspicion, but unable to bring themself to. A breathy voice left his thin lips. 

“Adrien?” 

* * *

“I didn’t recognize you with...you know....” He lifted his hand over his own clean shaven face and Adrien gave him a wry smile from his stove. The kettle was boiling and beside it, on the counter was a coffee press. 

“It took me a while to grow it out evenly,” he said. “It kept coming in patchy. The first year and a half, it was an embarrassment.” 

From the small, wooden table next to the galley kitchen, Luka leaned back on a creaking chair and laughed. “It looks good on you, though.”

“Thanks.” The kettle began to whistle and Adrien lifted it off the burner. He poured the hot water into the press and waited a moment before covering it. “Just give it a few minutes.”

“No problem. Thanks for letting me come in.” Luka lifted his hat off and placed it on the table next to him. His hair was a little longer than it had been the last time they met. It was cut in jagged layers that escaped the hair tie at his nape. He no longer had those blue dyed tips, but in some places, it turned a dark blue when the sunlight hit it. It fit him well and Adrien wondered if he was still doing rock music. The leather jacket, the boots, and the tight dark jeans seemed to point in that direction. “This was the third house and I was worried I got the wrong one again.”

Adrien turned his eyes back to the coffee press. How long was Luka searching for him? He filed that question in the back of his mind and focused on the coffee. He was sure Luka had questions of his own. How could he not? 

“Do you want any sugar or milk?” he asked as he reached into one of the shelves above the kitchen counter for a pair of mismatched mugs. There was the one he always used and another that was gifted to him by a kind, eldery neighbor. It brought his grand total of mugs to two. 

“No, I don’t need any.” Luka’s voice was almost too calm for Adrien to feel comfortable with. Granted, Luka had always been the most patient and easy going of their extended circle. He was sensible and observant. It was likely he didn’t want to alarm him. 

It was too late for that. Just the sight of him put Adrien on edge. 

He placed the red and white Christmas themed mug of coffee in front of Luka. It was September, but he knew Luka wouldn’t make any unnecessary comments. 

“It’s strong,” Adrien said, more to fill the silence as he took a seat across from his guest. 

A hint of a smile tugged at Luka’s thin lips. “You know I like it strong.” 

His low voice sent a small shudder through Adrien as Luka’s deft fingers wrapped around the ceramic mug. He blew across the top before taking a small sip. 

Adrien averted his eyes, his chest tightening. 

Ten years had passed and he still couldn’t rid himself of the visceral feelings Luka’s presence triggered. Adrien looked over the rim of his black, chipped mug. Aside from his longer hair, time hadn’t changed Luka much. Placid blue eyes, pale lips, and lean, masculine build. He’d gotten another ear piercing and his fingernails were no longer painted. He seemed to have put on some more muscle, as his chest was broader than Adrien remembered. 

He wondered if Luka noticed his own changes, aside from his unkempt beard and tousled hair.

“It’s good.” Luka’s voice brought him back to the present and Adrien swallowed hard. 

“Glad you like it.” It sounded so forced, he almost resented himself. There was a time when he’d spend hours at Luka’s side, talking about anything and everything with ease. 

A low breath escaped the dark-haired man. Luka gingerly placed his mug on the worn wooden table between them. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here.” Adrien opened his mouth, ready with a retort he often scripted out in his head for such a situation. “And I’m sure you know why.” 

Adrien closed his mouth and looked away. There was only one reason he could think of that would warrant such a visit. 

“I’m not going back.”

Luka’s chest rose and fell with another deep breath. He took another sip from his mug, this time longer, as if mulling over a question. “Can you at least tell me why?”

Adrien’s eyes snapped back to meet his with an incredulous look. “What do you mean why?” he asked, his voice sharper than he anticipated. “You _know_ why.” 

The calm expression on Luka’s face faded as his eyes narrowed. “No one blamed you, Adrien. You were as much a victim as the rest of Paris, if not more so.” 

Adrien glared down at the table top and shook his head. He grit his teeth as his hands tightened around his mug. “You don’t understand.”

“Then try to explain it to me,” Luka said in a firm voice. “We tried to give you time, Adrien. We held back as much as we could, but you disappeared.”

“What good would it have been remaining in that city?” Adrien’s cold eyes bore into Luka. “My father was a terrorist! He was attacking the city from the house where I _lived_! He hid my own mother from me and by the time we found her....” His voice trailed off and he moved back against his chair to try to calm himself. He bit his lips and ran a hand through his hair. 

He didn’t want to think about that now. The memory of that day and what he had to do would haunt him for the rest of his life. 

Something brushed against his hand and he looked down to see Luka pushing forward a small packet of tissue. “I’m sorry to bring it up.” 

Adrien stared at the small packet. He reached for it. “What’s this?”  
“Tissue,” Luka said. “My wife stuffs random things into my pockets. Just in case, she says.” 

Adrien’s pale, calloused hand froze over the tissue. His eyes darted to Luka’s hand and he kicked himself for not noticing it before. A small gold band was over his ring finger. 

His chest tightened one more, this time along with a sharp pain. He pulled his hand away from the tissue, opting instead to wipe at his damp eyes. “I didn’t know you got married.” He sounded accusing and, if he were being honest, betrayed. 

If Luka noticed, he didn’t acknowledge it. He took another drink from his mug and held Adrien’s eyes. “Two years ago. The love of my life.” It hurt to hear that. “We looked for you.”

Not hard enough if he was just finding him. “And it took you two years to find me.” 

“Nine.” 

His breath caught in his throat. He crinkled his eyes and looked at Luka, unwilling to believe it. “What do you mean?”

“You disappeared. By the time I figured it out, you’d probably been gone a week. All you left us was a note,” Luka said, looking down at his mug. “She said to give you time. That the least we could do was respect your wishes.” Luka’s jaw clenched. “She was _so sure_ you’d come back. ‘Trust him, Luka’, she said. ‘He’ll come back to us when he’s ready.’” 

Tears stung at Adrien’s eyes. He looked away, knowing exactly who’s unwavering faith he’d turned his back on. 

“The weeks went by. Then a few months....” Luka nodded his head as anger seeped into his voice. “Then a year. She caved before that and started looking for you. She reached out to your lawyer. He said that you were traveling.” Luka lifted his head and, for the first time since he arrived, sent an icy glare at Adrien. “It was so hard to watch her desperately searching for you and still trying to convince herself that you’d come back.” 

Adrien’s voice trembled. “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

“You know how much she loves you,” Luka said. “How much we both do. And you vanished without a word.”

“I couldn’t go back.” Adrien wheezed out as his vision blurred with tears. “I couldn’t go back there. Back to everyone’s pitying gaze, knowing that simply by association to an Agreste, everyone I cared about would be faced with the same questions and judgment I was given. I couldn’t do that to you all!”

“So you thought the best thing to do was to disappear?” Luka yelled and Adrien flinched. Luka rarely ever raised his voice, let alone to someone. “We didn’t care about what other people thought! All we cared about was you!”

“And I cared about you!” Adrien shot up from his seat and looked down at Luka with hot tears streaming down his face. “I couldn’t drag you down with me! I couldn’t; not to you, not to Nino and the others, and especially not to her....” He stumbled back against the kitchen counter. “I kept having nightmares, Luka. I kept seeing that day over and _over_ and I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t stay there.” 

Luka’s shoulders sank and he looked at Adrien with a pleading look. “But why did you cut off contact with us? If you didn’t want to stay, why didn’t you at least contact us? We were worried, Adrien.” His voice softened. “How could we not be?” 

Adrien sniffled and wiped at his eyes. “It was for the best. I needed a clean break to get away from Paris and all my memories there.”

Luka’s voice was tense. “Even us?” 

Adrien kept his eyes away. His chest ached. “Even you.” 

Luka didn’t answer. Silence drifted between the two and Adrien gathered his courage to look back at the kitchen table. Luka was staring at his mug. Adrien waited for him to speak. He _willed_ him to, but Luka remained still. The silence was becoming unbearable with each passing second.

Adrien swallowed hard once again and began to try to find the words to fill in the quiet. 

The loud scrape of the table legs against the wooden floor filled the room and his heart jumped to his chest. Luka pushed his seat back and rose to his feet, placing his hat back on his head. The color drained from Adrien’s face. Luka was leaving. 

Despite the atmosphere, he didn’t want him to go. There was something about Luka being there that made him want to hang on to the moment a bit longer. 

“Luka-”

“I need to go.” Adrien sucked in a sharp breath at Luka’s curt reply. “It looks like you really don’t want contact with us.”

Pain stabbed at his heart and Adrien, despite a decade of no contact, found himself desperate to keep Luka back. He rushed forward and reached for Luka’s arm. “Luka, wait-”

The tall man snatched his arm away from Adrien’s hands and kept his back to him. “My wife is waiting for me.” 

Adrien stood dumbly in the center of his small living room as Luka headed for the door. “Luka, I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I was in pain! I didn’t know what else to do!” Luka didn’t pause and Adrien felt his tears burning in his eyes. “How was I supposed to deal with it all after everything my father had done!” 

The door opened and Luka lingered in the doorframe. He took a deep breath and stared ahead of him, as if refusing to turn back. “Your father died three months ago. He wasn’t taking medicine for his heart condition and when the guards found him that morning, he’d been dead for a few hours.” 

A cold swept over Adrien and he couldn’t move from his spot. “What?” 

“Ladybug oversaw the funeral arrangements. He was cremated and she escorted Madame Sancœur during the cremation. Ladybug knows I’m here,” Luka said. He stepped outside, fishing out the rental car’s key fob from his pocket. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she comes by.” 

It was the sound of the car engine that stirred Adrien from where he stood, numb in the middle of a vacant cabin. He dragged himself to the doorway just to see the rear red lights of the car disappear down the road. 

At once, his legs gave out from underneath him and he crumbled to a pile against the door. It was a strange feeling; one he hadn’t felt in a while. Or rather, didn’t feel. 

He’d just learned his friends had searched for him for years and that his father, the man who terrorized Paris, had died.

He knew he should’ve been sad or angry or heartbroken, but Adrien Agreste could only sit in the doorway of his cabin, feeling _nothing_. 

* * *

He didn’t know how long he sat in the doorway, but when his senses rushed back, he was staring out into the endless darkness outside his little cabin. It was clear that no matter how long he waited there, Luka wasn’t coming back. 

Adrien dragged himself from the door, his hand feeling around a familiar spot for the light switch. His fingers paused over it and he stopped, not flipping it on. His eyes adjusted to the moon and starlight coming through his windows and he closed his door before silently stumbling to the modest, wood framed sofa in front of an unlit fireplace. 

He sat down, a dull ache throughout his body. 

Luka’s appearance shocked him. Adrien closed his eyes, replaying their brief conversation in his mind. His friends missed him. Luka was hurt and he didn’t return. And Marinette....

A sharp pain cut through his chest and he grit his teeth. _Why did Luka have to remind him of their beloved Marinette?_

He could feel the sharp pain at the bridge of his nose as his eyes began to water. Sweet, supportive Marinette, whose heart was bigger than all the countries in Europe combined. She was one of his first friends and she, more than anyone else, opened his world. 

His lips trembled remembering her soft fingertips against his skin, the scent of fresh bread in her hair, and the smile that eased him. Even when there were others, where there was Kagami or Lila or even Ladybug, in the end his heart was always drawn back to the brilliant warmth that welcomed him. 

He hated himself for only leaving her with a note, but he knew that if he faced her once more before he left, he would never do so. She’d entrap him with her big blue eyes and cry out and he would only cling to her. 

He would only bring her down with him. 

To know that she waited so long and that she suffered uselessly...God, why did Luka have to tell him? 

Adrien knew the answer to his own question. It was because while Luka loved him, he also loved Marinette just as much, and could never forgive anyone who hurt her. Adrien couldn’t blame him. He would never forgive himself, either. 

When he left, he thought it was the end of their romance. After all, he abandoned the two people he professed to love. They had three magical years. For some people, having such love for even a fraction of that time would be enough. But he, whose mother was gone and whose father was an emotionally distant monster, couldn’t get enough.

He couldn’t remember when it started, but he knew the moment he realized in what way he loved them. 

They were his treasured friends. Luka was a kind, guiding figure. He was patient and was always happy to listen and dispense good, meaningful advice. Adrien felt comfortable with him. Possibly _too_ comfortable, as some of their other friends noted in the beginning. He’d lay across Luka’s bed, lean and drape himself over Luka’s shoulders, and rest his head on Luka’s lap. 

“Is it...is it weird?” he asked at fifteen years old. “If I’m making you uncomfortable....” He held his breath, worried that Luka would reject him. 

Above him, Luka’s blue eyes crinkled up with a smile and he rested his large hand on top of Adrien’s hair. “What’s weird about it? I don’t mind.” He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world and Adrien was both relieved and elated. He didn’t care what others thought if Luka was fine with it. 

Marinette was a confidant and partner in crime. Their time together was always fun and just being in her presence made him happy. He would seek her out at school, try to weasel his way into group projects with her, and send her texts well into the night. Whenever he felt alone, he’d always get a response from her. 

She always made him feel wanted and part of the group. She made him feel _normal_. 

He wanted her to be his close friend forever because that was what he believed his heart told him. He dared not change their relationship for fear of losing the girl who ended his isolation. 

It was Adrien’s unwillingness to change his relationship with Marinette and his comfortable familiarity with Luka that blinded him to the changes happening between the two. 

He didn’t pay any attention to the two of them ‘hanging out’ alone more often. He shrugged off Luka starting to distance himself; gently avoiding his arms and keeping something on his lap. Adrien didn’t realize Marinette was busier than before and that their long nighttime text chats became fewer and further between. 

It was coming back from a modeling job midsummer, at age sixteen, that he finally understood Marinette and Luka’s relationship. He was rushing to meet everyone at the movie theater, having taken a train home early. The sun was setting and he was checking his phone; he had time before the movie and was circling the area, debating on whether or not to get something to eat first or kill time at a cafe. 

Rounding a corner, Adrien caught sight pink and blue and he could remember his face lighting up realizing who the pretty young brunette in the pink sundress and the tall blue-haired man in jeans and a black t-shirt were. The two were walking next to each other, laughing and talking. They must’ve been heading to the theater, also.

Adrien opened his mouth to call out to them and felt his world come to a halt as Luka leaned down, cupped Marinette’s soft flushed cheek with his large, guitar-calloused hand, and kissed her. He stood, in the shadow of a building, as the young couple lingered across the river walk, relishing a long, satisfying kiss. 

When they parted, she stroked his blue bangs out of his hair and smiled so sweetly, it felt as if Adrien’s heart was ripped out of his chest. He watched as they continued on, her head on his shoulder as their hands remained woven together between their bodies. 

Luka hadn’t reached out to touch him in weeks. Marinette hadn’t spent any time with him, either. And now he knew why. 

He missed the movie that evening. 

Still, he cared for them. He would support their relationship, of course. That’s what he told himself. It wasn’t as if he had any right to interfere. He had no claim to either person. Yet, he couldn’t rid himself of the disgusting feelings of envy, hurt, and crippling loneliness. When they hung out as a group with their friends, Adrien would find himself thinking that it was supposed to be his head on Luka’s shoulder and that Marinette’s smile and laugh should’ve been his. 

What was worse was that everyone seemed to know, but didn’t point it out. Did they come out as a couple to their friends while he was away on a job? Why didn’t Nino tell him? 

It started to affect his job as Chat Noir and one night, as Ladybug chided him for a mistake he should’ve known better than to make, he exploded and everything came out.

“Why didn’t they tell me? I thought we were close! I thought we told each other everything!” His claws had dug into the steel frame of the tower as his voice shook. “Now it’s like they’re shutting me out!” He trusted them so much and they left him behind.

“Chat Noir.” Ladybug put her hand on his shoulder as she sat down beside him. “You should talk to them.” 

And say what? That they were neglecting him? That he wanted to know why they didn’t tell him they were together? Why everyone seemed to know, but him? “I can’t....” He feared that their answer would shatter his world further. What if they didn’t think it was his business? What if they thought it was strange he was so worried about it? 

_What if they didn’t want him?_ What if he was in the way? What if he had just been a burden to them the entire time?

“Didn’t you say you love them?” Ladybug asked in a soft, knowing voice. “Is that not worth at least finding out the truth?” 

He held it in for another month, grappling with his own feelings and overthinking, until Luka’s eighteenth birthday. He caused a scene after Luka’s party on the houseboat. 

Someone brought in beer and he, wanting to drown out the voices criticizing and terrifying him in his head, drank without any restraint. He was an emotional drunk and in the midst of helping them clean up after the party, he broke down in front of Marinette and Luka. 

He loved and respected and saw Luka as someone he was close to; a voice of reason and stability, but he loved Marinette, the light of his life and soul, as well. He didn’t want her to leave him behind. 

Adrien sobbed below deck, surrounded by empty beer bottles and half a dozen unconscious drunk teenagers. He couldn’t even make out Marinette and Luka’s expressions. 

He just didn’t want _either of them_ to leave him behind.

Adrien remembered waking up sandwiched between them, somehow fitting on Luka’s tiny bed on the boat. Marinette’s warm, sleeping breath rolled over his forehead as he clung to her. Her slender arms wrapped around him, holding him against her as his chin rested on top of her breasts. At his back, Luka’s chest rose and fell with steady breaths as an arm draped over him and Marinette. 

“Adrien...I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was so...preoccupied.”

“I’ve been in love with her for so long....” 

“Adrien...we didn’t forget about you.”

“Of course we still love you.” 

That was the start of the happiest time of his life; he was bathed in their love and affection, and in return, he gave them all of him. Marinette’s tender kisses and soft touch; an embrace from her always made him feel like he was home. Luka’s kindness and understanding made him feel welcomed and safe. 

He wasn’t a third party in their relationship; he was a part of it. He was welcomed back in their arms and in their lives, as if he’d never left. Marinette would sit between Luka’s legs and Adrien would sit between hers as she wrapped her slender, pale legs around him to try to wrestle his video game out of his hands while laughing. 

Luka would scold them for staying up too late in text messages and then text them individually to tell them to get some sleep. He’d be the first to message them in the morning, reminding them to get up for class even once he graduated. 

That only brushed the surface of the feelings that bound them.

It was probably why they wouldn’t let him go so easily. After ten years, if he still loved them that much, did that mean that they still loved him? 

Adrien felt the heaviness of sleep wrapping around him. He slumped back against the sofa, his heart still aching for two people he loved so much, that in the end, in order to save them, it was him who abandoned them.

* * *

The trout he fished the day before with some greens from town was a usual dish he considered himself a master at making, but tonight, he could only peck at it. He prepared his meal like a robot at the usual time, but he had no appetite. 

His mind was a jumble of thoughts. He’d cut himself off not only from his friends and Paris, but from any news outside of the village. He hadn’t used his smart phone in seven years. He had no computers, tablets, or even a television. He had a crank powered radio for emergencies. That was about it. 

His days were spent with mindless physical activity to keep him from thinking about the world he left behind. Lots of exploring the mountain; he’d taken up rock climbing with the help of some people in the village. There was something freeing about climbing to the top of things.

He’d do that in the morning, he decided. He’d forget all about Luka’s visit, Marinette waiting for him, and news of his father’s death....

Adrien shoved his plate away and leaned over the table, covering his face with his hands as he grit his teeth. 

Gabriel Agreste was no longer his father. He’d ceased to be so ten years ago; knowledge of his death should’ve been like hearing that of a stranger’s. 

His breath shook as hot tears poured down his face. Gabriel Agreste was a monster. He wasn’t the father Adrien once loved. Yet, his mind couldn’t reconcile the logic. Why was he crying for a monster? A monster who caused so much pain and suffering to not only a city of strangers, but his own flesh and blood. 

He ruined everything. Their relationship as father and son, his mother’s chance at survival, the family he was building for himself. If Gabriel Agreste didn’t bring him down with him - threatening to ruin all the lives his touched, then maybe he wouldn't be hiding from the world and instead be at home, in Paris, with Luka and Marinette. 

Adrien swore and tilted his head back, his arms falling at his sides and he struggled to compose himself. Choking back his cries, he stumbled off of his chair and headed to the pantry. He shoved aside some boxes of vegetables and looked down at the bottles of wine he kept hidden out of view. 

_Just a little_ , his mind said. _To calm you._

He willed his arm to reach down and pick up a bottle, but it didn’t move. 

His body trembled against the pantry door frame, his eyes unable to tear away from the wine. Another voice fought with the first; _don’t touch it_. Not then, when he was at a low point. He knew what happened when he drank in such a state. 

It wouldn’t stop until he passed out or all the wine was gone; whichever came first. 

_And what if she finds you like that?_

He inhaled sharply as a vision of Ladybug, still bright and youthful, forever nineteen in his memory, filled his head. His body felt weak.

He didn’t want her to see him like that; like he was just waiting for death to take him. 

He had promised her. 

Adrien turned his head away and shut his eyes tight. His arms wrapped around him as he slid to the floor, recalling Luka’s words. 

_“I wouldn’t be surprised if she comes by.”_

Luka fought beside him and Ladybug as Viperion. Adrien didn’t doubt that what was said was a real possibility. What would he tell her? That he was sorry he left? He wasn’t. Maybe reassure her that he was fine? He almost scoffed, bitter at the thought. He wasn’t that either. 

He was a wreck. That hadn’t changed at all. It was just for the last ten years, he’d done his best to cover it up and pretend he was normal in a place where no one knew who he was. 

It took him four years to stop drinking himself to sleep. He still had nightmares every so often and he couldn’t even keep a calendar in the house because he’d know when August 13th - the day his father was unmasked and his mother was killed - was. 

There were days where he wouldn’t leave his cabin and would just lay in bed. There were plenty of nights he couldn’t sleep, either by choice to avoid the nightmares or unable to stop them from invading his thoughts. Moving to the middle of nowhere was the least he could do to escape.

However, a part of him knew it wouldn’t last. He always held his breath and looked over his shoulder, expecting someone from his past to appear. Even after many years and many false alarms, that feeling stuck with him. It was just that until now, he pretended it didn’t and brushed it off.

Ten years, he thought. They were teenagers when he left; they wouldn’t continue chasing after him. 

But they did. 

Adrien lifted his hand to his chest as his eyes watered. Was he relieved that they did? When he saw Luka standing there, he was terrified, but when Luka left.... Adrien leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, his arms wrapping around himself as loneliness seeped into him. 

“One drink....” His hoarse voice whispered into the dim room. He reached for the closest bottle. 

As his fingertips brushed the cool glass he heard a muffled sound of knocking. He turned his head towards his front door and squinted. Was he hearing things? He remained seated on the floor, beside the pantry door, looking across his cabin. Outside, the sun was setting and the orange horizon had almost given way to inky darkness. 

Another knock sounded: three clear raps against the wooden door. 

He glanced at one of the small windows not far from the door and couldn’t see any lights from a car. Was it a neighbor? He closed his eyes and pulled his hand away from the bottle, lifting it to his temple and pressing against his head. He didn’t need this right now.

Adrien didn’t move from his spot and hoped that whoever was knocking would get the hint and leave. 

“Hello?” The next knock was accompanied by a voice and Adrien perked up. It was a woman’s voice. “Adrien?” 

His heart leapt to his throat and he felt his breath catch. He pushed himself off the floor, his eyes never leaving the door. 

_“I wouldn’t be surprised if she comes by.”_

He was running across the small cabin, his heart pounding in his chest as Luka’s words from the day before echoed in his head. Ladybug came. _Ladybug came!_

He couldn’t believe it. It should’ve just been empty words, but she was there. And ten years of trying to hide himself were forgotten in an instant as the instinct to see his former partner overpowered any other thought. Frantic, trembling hands fiddled with the door locks before his hand gripped the knob and pulled it open. 

The dim, warm light of the cabin poured out of the doorway and the woman standing on the doorstep, lowered the hand that had been knocking and lifted her head to meet his gaze.

An unexpected ache swelled from his chest upon the sight of her soft face and gentle blue eyes. His breath left him as he stood in the doorway, looking down at her. Ladybug was all but forgotten, but he didn’t feel any disappointment. Rather, this visitor was _better_. 

Her eyes glistened as tears rimmed her lashes. A smile of relief and bitterness was on her pale face as her soft, pink lips parted.

“Adrien.” Marinette almost whispered his name, as if seeing a ghost. “ _Bon soir_.” 

His knees hit the floor as his legs gave way beneath him. His hands rose and he covered his face to muffle his choked sobs. Adrien’s shoulders shook violently as he hunched over, unable to compose himself at her feet. 

He missed her _so much_. 

“Marinette...Marinette....” He repeated her name over and over and he wasn’t sure if it was because he couldn’t believe she was standing there or if he was trying to apologize. 

“Shhh....” He didn’t notice her carefully kneel in front of him, her camel trench creasing and brushing the brick beneath her feet. “It’s all right.” Her warm breath caressed his ear as a hand stroked his back in slow, steady motions. Her head pressed against his as she continued to whisper reassurances he didn’t realize he wanted to hear. 

Adrien’s eyes remained shut tight, but the tears kept coming. 

“Marinette....”

“I’m right here.” She didn’t pull away as he drew his head back to try to look at her and confirm that he wasn’t losing his mind. He met her wet eyes that searched his. 

Adrien’s lips trembled as his hands clenched at his sides. “I’m...I’m sorry.” His voice hitched as he tried to speak. 

Marinette blinked her eyes to keep from crying as she sniffled. “I know.” Her hands cupped his face, keeping their gazes locked. Her thumbs gently stroked the corners of his eyes, wiping the tears away. 

Adrien took deep breaths and tried to calm himself. “Marinette....” 

“Let’s go inside,” she said, still holding his face in her hands. She offered him a small smile to encourage him and Adrien lowered his eyes. He took a deep breath and gave a slight nod of his head in agreement. 

He swallowed hard and pulled himself away. She seemed to watch him as he pushed himself to his feet and took a step back, avoiding her eyes all the while. 

“Adrien.” She called out to him before he could step away and he looked back at her. She was lifting her left hand from where she was kneeling. Adrien reached out to take it and help her stand. “Thank you.”

He gave her a silent nod. Once she was on her feet, he moved his hand back and turned away. “Please come in.”

“Thanks.” 

He kept his back to her, still trying to calm himself after making such a scene in front of her the moment she arrived. His face reddened, mortified that he’d simply collapsed into a crying heap at her feet the instant he saw her face. He didn’t know what came over him. He hadn’t reacted that way with Luka. 

He heard the door close behind him and he turned around. Marinette’s hand left the door she had shut and she was looking around the cabin. As she was distracted, Adrien took in the sight of her. 

In his mind, Marinette was not even twenty yet and still brimming with the beauty of unspoiled youth. She was slender, but petite; a fairy with thick dark hair, big eyes, and a rosy face that still retained its baby fat. He remembered her wearing dark denim and a blazer. He remembered her hair that she always tied up. 

The woman before him was a bit taller with her hair down, past her shoulders. Her eyes were sharper and her face more defined. Gone were her teenage clothes and in their place a fitted trench coat and pointed toe flats that didn’t make sense to wear in the mountains. But she was still beautiful, if not more so than the memory he held dear.

“May I sit down?” Her voice drew his attention back to her face.

Adrien mentally shook himself out of his memories and nodded. “Sorry, yes.” He looked towards the dining table, where he sat with Luka the day before. His unfinished dinner still laid on the table top. He turned towards the living area and motioned to the sofa. “Have a seat.”

She gave him a warm smile again and nodded. “Thank you.” She lifted her hands to the buttons of her trench. Her nails were painted a classic red, but they were kept relatively short. 

“I can take your coat.” It was an automatic response as soon as he saw her begin to shrug it off as she rounded the sofa.

“It’s fine,” she said. “I can just put it here.” She motioned to the back of the sofa. Adrien took a hesitant step forward, trying to keep a conversation going. 

“Then, what about some coffee? Wine?” Marinette turned to face him and without her coat on, Adrien noticed. His eyes lingered on her midsection as he inhaled a sharp breath.

Marinette noticed his reaction and lowered her hands over her protruding belly. “I’m afraid I can’t right now,” she said with a thoughtful smile. 

His hand rose over his heart as a dull aching filled his chest. Adrien couldn’t take his eyes off her stomach. “You’re....” He swallowed once more, but couldn’t finish his sentence.

Marinette looked down, her hands gingerly moving over the bump. “I’m five months along.” He nodded. 

“The...the father?” His eyes rose to meet hers.

She seemed to hold back a giggle. Her face softened. “You should know. He came by the other day.” 

His breath rushed out of him all at once and he wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not. On one hand, it made sense that Luka was the father. A part of him was relieved to know that Marinette and him had each other. Another part of him was hurt. It was clear he wasn’t part of their lives any more. 

Adrien drew his lips inward and turned around. “I’ll get you a glass of water.” 

“It’s fine,” Marinette said, stopping him from leaving. “I didn’t come here for water.” 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Why are you here, Marinette?” And why did you come while pregnant? Did you want to show me? _Is this God’s way of telling me this is what I’m missing for running away?_

“I wanted to see you.” Her voice was tight and Adrien felt the sharp pain between his eyes that told him he was going to cry again. He didn’t turn around, not wanting to see the painful expression he knew was on her face.

“Why?” 

“Because you never came back.” He could hear the strain in her voice. “I waited, Adrien. You told me you’d come back, so I waited.” She took a breath, but it was shaking. But you never came back.” 

He grit his teeth. His hands turned into fists at his sides as he forced himself to be still and not look at her, to avoid seeing what abandoning her looked like. 

“I can’t go back to Paris,” he said, trying to keep his voice even. “Adrien Agreste is the son of Hawkmoth. We weren’t regular people who’d be forgotten in two weeks; everyone knew how we looked like. If I stayed, I would’ve brought you and Luka and everyone else down with me.”

“That’s not true-”

“The media was camped out in front of my building.” His voice came out sharper than he intended, but these were not memories he wanted to remember. “I couldn’t leave, but even then I knew that they were hassling everyone. Nino was followed, even chased down a street, and Alya nearly got into a fight with a tabloid. Kagami’s mother wouldn’t allow her anywhere near me; she flew them back to Japan! I’ve known Chloe the longest and even she couldn’t be seen with me because her parents were high profile and were already affected by just knowing Gabriel Agreste. Everyone I knew was thrown into the spotlight; their lives disturbed and picked apart all because my father was a monster!” 

He was shaking once more, both upset by what he recalled and raising his voice to the woman he still loved.

Behind him, Marinette’s voice was quiet, but firm. “But _you’re_ not a monster.” He looked over his shoulder. She was seated on the sofa, her hands folded neatly on her lap as she looked at him with a pained expression. “No matter what happened, you’re not your father. You have always been Adrien Agreste to me; a man I love and want.”

Adrien’s shoulders fell and he shook his head, unwilling to believe her. “Even now? After ten years?”

“Even now. After ten years,” Marinette said. “After twenty. After fifty. After a hundred.” Her soft voice seemed to lure him forward. He turned to face her and took small steps towards her. He stopped an arms length away and stood by the sofa, looking down at her. 

“Why did you keep looking for me, Marinette?” he asked in a hoarse voice. He didn’t understand why she was so determined to find him. “You should’ve known after several years that I wasn’t coming back; that I didn’t want to be found.” 

“I wanted to,” Marinette said. “Because I know you....” She lifted her hand, beckoning him to her. “Adrien...you may not have wanted to come back, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t want to be found.” 

His lower lips trembled as his chest heaved. 

Adrien Agreste didn’t want to go back to Paris. No, it wasn’t Paris. It was back to the chaos that dominated his life before he left. He didn’t want to return to that, but he also _didn’t want to be alone_.

And no one seemed to know this more than the woman who opened him to the world. 

Adrien was on his knees in front of her, welcoming her hand cupping his face as her other arm brought him closer against her. He closed his eyes as he rested his head against her chest and put his arms around her. She was warm and as he inhaled deeply, he could smell the warm, lingering scent of bread. 

If this was just a drunken dream, he prayed it didn’t end. He wanted to be in this familiar embrace, even if it was just a little bit longer. 

* * *

He didn’t realize he fell asleep. He woke up on the floor, his upper body half draped over the sofa seat while an arm rested across a long, wool skirt, nestled beside the base of a bump. A hand was stroking his hair in a soothing motion that calmed his initial confusion to waking up not on his bed. 

“You slept well.” 

He squinted as he looked up, trying to focus on who was speaking. The blurry shapes turned into a the smiling face of a beautiful woman just above him. Was he still dreaming? 

“Marinette?” 

“ _Bonjour, mon cœur_ ,” she said and a hopeful smile tugged at his lips. She used to always greet him with that and he’d forgotten how good it sounded. 

“Marinette....” He lifted a hand to touch her face as the early morning light illuminated the small cabin. “You’re here....” 

She nodded. “I stayed the night.” 

He furrowed his brows. He was so caught up in waking up to her, he missed the fact that it was morning. He looked towards the windows and pulled away from her. 

“You slept...here?” He looked back at her on the sofa, disbelief and horror filling him. His face paled. What did he make her do? “You’re pregnant!” 

She giggled. “It’s all right,” she said. “I walked around a bit to keep from going numb and the sofa is comfortable.” Adrien was on his feet, frantic as he moved away. 

“Do you need to eat? You need to eat, don’t you?” he said, rushing to the kitchen and ignoring his disheveled appearance. “You have a baby to feed, now. I can make you breakfast. I have eggs. Are eggs okay?” 

“Adrien-”

“You can’t have coffee right? What about juice?”

“Adrien-”

“I have oranges!”

“Adrien!” He whirled around in the middle of his kitchen and saw Marinette standing and looking at him with a sorrowful expression. The panic on his face gave way to concern. She shook her head. “I have to go.” 

His arms hung limp at his sides and his eyes crinkled up. “What?” 

“I have to go back,” she said. “To Paris.” 

He stared at her. Of course she had to go back to Paris. Paris was her home. She never fled. Marinette only came to find him, not to stay with him. A bitter taste lingered on this tongue. 

What was he expecting? 

She walked towards him, only stopping when he took an involuntary step back. She looked disappointed that he would avoid her. 

“Adrien, I wanted to see you. _I miss you_.” She stressed her words and Adrien knew she was telling the truth. “I want you to come back, Adrien, please.” 

He shook his head. He’d already told Luka. “I’m not going back-”

A knock on the door cut off his words and both he and Marinette turned towards it. The handle jiggled and it seemed to open on its own. 

Luka stood warily on the doorstep, unsure if he should enter. He looked from Marinette to Adrien and back. “Is everything all right?” 

She lowered her eyes, but nodded. “I thought you were coming later.”

“You said eight.” Luka tilted his head out, towards a car. “It’s eight.” 

Marinette looked back at Adrien, who was still looking at Luka. “I wasn’t done.” 

Green eyes looked back at her before tearing away. Adrien walked into his kitchen and reached for the kettle. “You wanted to tell me to go back to Paris,” he said in a low, cold voice as he filled the kettle with water. “And I already told you no. I think you’re done.”

“Adrien!” Luka frowned and stormed into the cabin. Marinette moved to block his way into the kitchen. 

“It’s fine,” she said, lifting her hands and pressing them against his chest. “He’s under no obligation to come back if he doesn’t want to.”

“He told you that he was just going away for a while,” Luka said, almost growling his words. “He promised you.”

“That wasn’t the only thing he promised me.” Marinette sounded serious. “I didn’t just come to find him.” Adrien placed the kettle on the stove as a blue and yellow flame popped up to heat it. Marinette turned to look at him. “He’s alive and well...at the very least, I know that now.” 

“You also know that I’m here,” Adrien said, his hands gripping the countertop as he kept his eyes averted. “I don’t plan to go anywhere else or run away somewhere you can’t find me.” 

“Do you promise and plan to break it, too?” Luka asked. Adrien could hear the anger in his voice. 

“Luka....”

“I didn’t ask for you to come find me!” Adrien turned and met Luka’s glare with one of his own. “Nor did I ask for you to wait for ten years!” Luka drew his head back and Marinette bit her lips. “I’m not going back to Paris. I never want to go back there again. Don’t you understand? I lost _everything_ there. My privacy, my reputation. It ruined my relationships with the people I loved most and if I stayed, it would’ve _ruined their lives_ ! My father terrorized that city and everyone knew!” He choked on his words as pain filled him. “My mother was _killed_ there.” 

Marinette was in front of him before he could avoid her. Her arms wrapped around him and he could feel her stomach press against his as she squeezed him. She buried her face in his shoulder as his arms rose and clung to her. He shut his eyes and cried against her head as he trembled in place. 

“I’m sorry, Adrien.” Luka’s voice was just as pained as his. Adrien felt the man at his back, his lips brushing against the side of his head as his long, strong arms embraced both him and Marinette, keeping Adrien between them. “I’m so sorry.” 

They stood in the middle of his kitchen, holding him tight in silence. It wasn’t until the kettle began to whistle that Luka loosened his hold to reach to the stove and turn off the burner. As he moved the kettle aside, Marinette looked up at Adrien and cupped his face once more in her small hands. 

“If you don’t want to go back, then we’ll come to you.” His eyes grew wide as her thumbs stroked his face. 

He turned his head and kissed her hand. “I can’t ask you to do that.” 

“We love you,” Luka said behind him. He looked back at the other man. “At least let us visit.” 

For the first time in ten years, Adrien felt the persistent aching in his chest settle just a bit. The corners of his lips tugged upwards. “I’d like that.” 

They stayed for coffee, juice, and some fried eggs. If they didn’t have to return to the city by that evening, they would’ve stayed on Adrien’s sofa, lazily wasting the day away in favor of just basking in each other’s company. Luka sat on one end of the sofa, rubbing Marinette’s swollen feet while Adrien sat on the other facing him with Marinette between his legs, leaning back against his body. 

“It’s not too bad,” Marinette said. “I’m not on my feet for too long, but I’m only getting heavier as the months go.” 

“Do you know if they’re a boy or girl?” Adrien asked. His hands were resting across her swollen belly, fascinated that inside was a little person who’d be born of the two people he loved most. 

“We’ve decided on a surprise,” Luka said with a grin. “But there is a betting pool if you want in on it. It’s pretty split 50/50 right now. Alya’s convinced they’re a girl.”

Adrien laughed. “I think she’s a girl, too. Any names?”

“Emma for a girl. Hugo for a boy,” Marinette said, brimming with pride. “We’re prepared for both outcomes!” 

“Those are great names. I can’t wait to meet them.” He lowered his head and kissed Marinette’s cheek, prompting her to tilt her head up and meet his lips with hers. 

“I’m sure they can’t wait to meet their Papa Adrien, too.” Luka smiled, reaching across and weaving his fingers between Adrien’s. His face reddened. 

The morning was not enough to fully catch up on what where they were in their lives. While Adrien had nothing much to say considering he lived in relative isolation in a quiet mountain area, Marinette and Luka had numerous changes in their lives. 

They were married in a small ceremony and lived in a flat in the 11th arrondissement. Luka had a sound studio on the floor below, but above Marinette’s boutique and studio. Luka often went on tour with Jagged Stone as part of his band, but he considered his main job to be providing back up guitar work, composing, and mixing for various bands. 

Marinette went through their list of friends to keep him up to date and Adrien agreed to let them tell his friends that they found him, but to give him time before he met up with them again. 

“I’ve been away for so long,” he said as the couple was preparing to leave. “I’m sure they must be mad that I haven’t kept in touch and just vanished.” 

Marinette finished putting on her trench coat and shook her head. “No one is mad at you, Adrien. Just afraid and worried.” 

He walked them to the door and Marinette turned around. She gathered his larger hands in hers and squeezed them. “I know that you don’t want to come back, but if you do, even if it’s for a little while, our home is your home.” 

“And you can come home whenever you want.” Luka reached forward, his hand sliding against Adrien’s head and cupping the back to keep him steady as Luka kissed him. Adrien closed his eyes and leaned forward, drawn into the kiss that tasted of coffee. 

When they parted, Adrien lowered his head, unable to free himself the guilt he felt for causing them so much trouble and making them worry. 

“I’m sorry you came all this way to try to get me to come back, only for me to refuse.” 

“As Marinette said, you have every right to,” Luka said. “What matters is that at least we know you’re here and safe.” 

“Besides, that wasn’t the only reason we wanted to find you.” Marinette put her hands on her stomach once more. “I...I thought I needed you to come back, but...I shouldn’t force you just because I want you to.” He couldn’t read the expression on her face and he cocked his head. He appreciated her sentiment, but how she said it unnerved him a bit. 

“All right, we have to go.” Luka took a step back towards the car. 

Marinette moved closer to Adrien and he leaned down to kiss her. He held her a bit longer, taking one last deep breath to remember the lingering scent of bread. 

“I love you.” She whispered against his lips as she pulled away. “We’ll see you soon.” She stroked his face one last time before stepping away. She took Luka’s hand and he brought her to their car, helping her into the passenger's seat before rounding it. 

Adrien watched as their car disappeared down the road and once it was out of sight, he let out a low breath. A smile filled his face as he stepped back into his cabin. Usually, the small space felt empty and cold, but knowing he’d just spent time with Marinette and Luka there filled the room with a nostalgic warmth, as if the couple left their mark. 

A weight seemed lifted from his shoulders and everywhere he went in the small cabin, everything felt brighter. What he missed the most in Paris came to him and he was assured that they would come again. 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Thank you for not abandoning me....” 

Adrien headed to his bedroom to shower and change, passing the sofa and not noticing the small wooden box left behind on it.

* * *

“ _Monsieur Leblanc_ , is that you?” The old woman who lived two houses down the mountain from him stared with disbelief and Adrien couldn't help but laugh at her expression. He lifted his hand to his beardless face, stroking the smooth skin that lay hidden for years. 

“I got tired of it,” he said with a wave as he continued to walk up the road to his house. He’d just gone to fetch some cheese from another neighbor for dinner. “Have a good evening, Madam Laurent!” 

He continued his way back to his cabin. The light, airy feeling he’d had since he made peace and temporarily parted with Marinette and Luka hadn’t left him all day. It almost made him want to dig out his phone and see if it still worked so he could contact them. 

Adrien chuckled to himself and shook his head. He’d spent ten years hiding and the moment Marinette arrived, his entire world was shaken. He thought he could live without them and now, he knew he could. He’d just be miserable. Maybe it was because he vanished from their lives with just a note.

Maybe it was because he knew they were worried about him. Maybe it was just because he missed them so much and wouldn’t let himself acknowledge it. Whatever the reason, making contact with them and having them back in his life eased the burden he’d been carrying.

He still couldn’t change the past and returning to Paris was still out of the question; however, the regret of leaving them behind was somewhat put to rest. This was the best he could hope for and while he initially hated their intrusion into his current life, he was now happy that they came. He hoped this feeling wouldn’t leave him any time soon. 

Adrien reached his cabinet and unlocked his door. He pushed it open and walked in, carrying a woven bag with cheeses into the house with him. He reached the kitchen and placed the bag on the countertop. As he prepared to pull out the items, he froze. His blood ran cold as he looked across the kitchen, to the pantry. 

He’d left the door closed when he left. He always did; it was a habit. Now, it was opened a few centimeters. Adrien frowned. Did he not close it all the way when he left? He stepped around the counter and walked to the pantry door. He pulled it open and peeked inside. 

“What the?” His face contorted with annoyance and disgust to find that items had been knocked off the shelves and on to the floor. Several containers were opened and various seeds and nuts that were once in carefully sealed jars were now scattered all over his floor. The inside of the pantry was an absolute mess. 

For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what had happened. There was no way there was an earthquake; he was just down the mountain. He would've felt it. Was it an animal? He knelt down and examined the food that was spilled. His eyes narrowed. Food was everywhere, but there was no sign of anything being eaten, or even nibbled on. There were no tiny footprints or poop drops. 

Did someone break in? 

He shot to his feet and heard something from the living room. Adrien tensed up. He carefully stepped out of the kitchen, listening for any sounds. He took care not to make noise as his eyes scanned the area in front of him. Nothing else seemed amiss.

He headed into the hall that led to his bedroom and the bath. Nothing seemed touched in the bathroom and aside from his laundry basket toppled over with used clothes and dirty socks strewn about the floor around it, nothing else seemed distrubed. 

Maybe it really was an animal. He walked back out to the living room and looked around to see if anything was knocked over by a small creature running about, trapped in a cabin. As he combed the room, something small wooden, almost blending into the pattern on the sofa, caught his eye. 

He held his breath as the familiar wooden box rested in front of him, almost taunting him with its presence. It was impossible for it to be there. He’d returned the ring and lost the box. Adrien couldn’t tear his attention away and bent down. His hand hovered above the box, wondering if it would disappear when he tried to touch it.

The dark wood was solid against his fingertips and he sucked in a breath. 

“No....” He opened the Miraculous box and set his eyes on the thick, silver ring engraved with a cat’s foot print. He must’ve been seeing things. This must’ve been a dream. There was no way-

A rustling sound came from the kitchen and Adrien snapped his head up. He looked towards the counter, where the bag of cheese was moving. His heart was beating fast, pounding in his ears as he walked towards it. 

It could’ve been a rat. A squirrel that slipped in somehow. Perhaps a rabbit. 

He could see black peeking out from the bag and his hand tightened on the box. 

Or a cat. 

“Unbelievable!” An irritated voice cut through the tense silence of the cabin. “Five kinds of cheese and not a single camembert!” A small head popped out. Despite the complaints, he was still chewing on a piece of cantal. “He just had to run away to the Alps....” 

“Plagg?” The little kwami turned around and shoved the remaining piece of cantal cheese into his mouth. 

“There you are. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?” He pointed at Adrien with a look of defiance. 

Adrien stood slack jawed. He never thought he’d see the ring, let alone Plagg again. “What...what are you doing here?”

“What do you think I’m doing here? I’m here for you!” Plagg flew up from the counter and moved closer to him. “I waited for so long, you know! You said you were only going to be gone for a little bit.” 

Adrien squeezed the box again. Plagg’s voice trembled a bit as he said the last part and Adrien could only fight back the shame and guilt of leaving behind his little friend and partner. “Plagg...I....”

“Hold it.” Plagg held up his hand. “Don’t start crying on me all of a sudden. Haven’t you done enough waterworks these last two days?” 

Adrien wiped at the corners of his eyes. “Sorry, sorry, I just didn’t expect to see you.” He shook his head and lifted the box, placing it on the counter. “What are you doing here?” 

“Didn’t I just tell you? I’m here for you!”

“But why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’? You’re my chosen one! Don’t tell me all these years living alone did something to that head of yours and you’ve forgotten.” 

It was clear that Adrien still couldn’t wrap his head around seeing the kwami. He sat down on a kitchen chair and stared, distraught, ahead of him. “But I gave you up.”

“Temporarily.” Plagg corrected him. “You did say you’d only be gone for a little while.” 

Adrien met his eyes. “I...I didn’t plan to.” 

The smug look on Plagg’s face that he remembered was gone. Instead, two green eyes bore into him, as if reading his thoughts. His voice went cold. “I know.” Adrien closed his eyes. “But I still believed in you.” 

“Plagg....”

“Apologize to me.” Adrien looked back at Plagg and found him floating closer, looking upset. “I waited for years for you to return.”

Adrien’s brows knit together. “I’m sorry, Plagg.” He apologized once more. “I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t stay there.”

“Yeah, clearly,” Plagg said. “Ladybug kept saying that you’d come back.”

“Why would I even need to?” Adrien asked. Being Chat Noir was different from being civilian Adrien Agreste. As Adrien, he had left behind his friends who wanted him to stay, but as Chat Noir, there was no reason for him to remain. 

Hawkmoth was vanquished. There was no need for him to run around the city playing super hero any more. He’d used that to validate his decision to leave the ring behind over and over again. It was a legitimate reason. 

“Did you think that crime and emergencies would stop just because Hawkmoth was gone?” Plagg asked. “Did you think that Hawkmoth was the only Miraculous wieldier who was using it unjustly?” 

Adrien frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“I should've known since you don’t even have a television in this shack,” Plagg said, throwing his little arms in the air and zipping around. “You don’t even know what’s going on in the outside world.” 

“I came here to get away from it.”

“Yeah, I know,” Plagg said, deadpan. “And now you don’t know what’s going on.” 

He didn’t want to know. He wanted to stay in his isolated bubble. But something kept digging at him, forcing his curiosity. “What happened?”

“The temple where the other Miraculous were being kept was attacked. Official word was that the local government thought that there were rebels in the temple compound, but that’s an excuse. For the most part, the remaining guardians there were able to escape and are safe, but it was a sudden attack and at last count, a half dozen Miraculous were lost in the chaos and are considered missing. Ladybug is a full fledged guardian and is honor bound to assist in finding the Miraculous. She’s been trying to help retrieve them for a few years while the other guardians are resettling.” 

Adrien knew about the temple compound, but he didn’t know it was attacked. “So, Ladybug is searching the world for them?”

“Not for the last year and a half,” Plagg said, sounding uncomfortably serious. “Another user has appeared and is trying to get Ladybug’s Miraculous. That is...all the ones she’s guarding.”

Adrien drew his head back. His mind raced. “They must know there was a set in Paris from when Hawkmoth was attacking.”

“Exactly,” Plagg said. “Not counting this Qilin Miraculous, that would leave five more still unaccounted for, but just having one running amok is bad enough.”

Adrien remained seated, but rubbed his chin. “But Ladybug can’t be fighting alone, right? The other wielders-”

“Can only do so much without her and right now, she’s not exactly fit for a fight.”

“What do you mean?” Adrien narrowed his eyes. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. Still, her condition is serious enough for her to decide to finally come to you.” 

Adrien tilted his head. “Come to me?” 

“They searched for you for years, but she found out you were here before the wedding. Still, you told her you’d come back, so she didn’t want to force you to return. She kept saying you had your reasons and that we should respect your privacy. Of course, it wasn’t like she didn’t want you to come back.” Plagg let out a little snort. “If you knew how much she cried over you-”

“Wait, wait....” Adrien stood up and waved his hand at Plagg to stop him. “Hold on a second. Are you talking about Ladybug? She got married?” 

“Yes, and she wanted you there, but her wedding invitation she secretly sent out got returned because it turns out you’re using a fake name.” 

He paced the area in front of Plagg and slowly stopped. He turned to the small kwami with a hardened expression. “Plagg....how did you get here?” 

He watched the corners of Plagg’s lips turn up into a smirk. “I see you’re finally putting it together, aren’t you?” 

Adrien recalled Ladybug’s face that rainy day he returned his ring to her. The heartbroken expression...the desperation in her oh so familiar blue eyes. The promise he made her.... Luka’s voice rang in his head once more: _I wouldn’t be surprised if she dropped by._

He forced the name from his lips. “Marinette?”

“Ding ding ding!” Plagg grinned. “Finally got it, huh?” 

He felt weak and his hand shot out to grip the counter to keep himself from falling. His other hand rose and covered his mouth. Everything seemed to come together in his mind. Her actions, her sudden disappearances, even the slightest mannerisms he’d ignored were now glaring proof of her identity. 

“This entire time....” The masked hero he was infatuated with was his Marinette. The first girl he kissed. The girl he took up to a rooftop to talk to. The girl he fought side by side with. The knowledge felt...good. 

“So you get it now?” Plagg interrupted his unexpected rapture at the realization that Marinette was Ladybug. 

Adrien couldn’t help but smile. “I get it....” 

“And you know she brought the ring and me up here to give to you.”

He didn’t understand why, but he nodded. “Yes.”

Plagg continued to stare at him, as if knowing he didn’t comprehend what he needed to. “And you know _why_ , despite knowing where you were, she actually came against your wishes to try to bring you back _now_ , even though she waited this long and believed - without a doubt - that you’d return?” 

Adrien moved his head to nod and froze. His smile vanished as all the color drained from his face. When she left, Marinette’s small hands were on protruding belly and that look on her face...that smile laced with sadness and worry. 

_“...that wasn’t the only reason we wanted to find you. I...I thought I needed you to come back, but...I shouldn’t force you just because I want you to.”_

“She’s pregnant.” His heart twisted in his chest. He got it now...why she stopped waiting. He should’ve known Marinette would’ve waited forever if he told her he’d come back. She forced her hand and came to him because she was pregnant and it was dangerous to fight, even with the Miraculous. 

Ten years and she, his partner and love, never stopped believing in him. Not as Adrien Agreste. Not as Chat Noir. Ladybug - Marinette - _needed_ him now. 

“Why didn’t she tell me?” Adrien asked as he shook his head. 

“How could Marinette, queen of self-sacrifice, ask _you_ , the traumatized man she loves, to return to the place that utterly destroyed you so you can put the ring on and cover for her while she’s pregnant?” Plagg said in a slow, deliberate voice. “I don’t know...I wonder why she didn’t bring it up.” 

“Plagg.” Adrien scowled. “This is serious.”

“Yeah, that’s why she came all this way. If she wasn’t desperate, she wouldn’t have bothered you. She let you take your time and waited for ten years, Adrien. She would’ve waited ten more. She wanted to come so many times. She only told Luka she found out where you were after the wedding because he wanted you back, but she was afraid you’d run. She kept it a secret from everyone; that’s how much she loves and trusts you.” 

Adrien bit his lips. And he betrayed her trust and her love. Even now, when it was clear that she needed him at her side, she restrained herself for his sake. 

“She should’ve told me she needed me....”

“She always needed you, Adrien,” Plagg said, resigned. “Like you needed her...and not just as heroes.” 

A small part of him always knew that. “I would’ve gone if she told me.” Adrien looked at Plagg, as if defeated. “If she needed me, I would’ve gone.” 

“I heard you tell them why you can’t go back. I know you don’t want to go back and even I can’t hold it against you. Marinette could ask you, but she can’t force you.”

Adrien loomed over the counter, looking down at the wooden box. “I don’t want to go back to Paris. From the moment I left, I never wanted to return.” He reached forward and opened the box. “But...if she needs me....” Plagg’s eyes widened as Adrien pulled the ring from the box and held it over his finger. “Then I’ll go back to her.” 

* * *

His phone still worked. He charged it up and packed a small bag of clothes, then locked up his cabin and made his way to town. He told his neighbors he was going on a little trip. When they proded a bit more, asking where he was going and if it was somewhere foreign and exciting, Adrien just smiled. 

“The woman I’m in love with is pregnant and she needs me,” he said, stunning the little old ladies. Wasn’t he a confirmed bachelor and lived alone? “So I’m going home to them.” 

The entire bus and train ride back to Paris he pulled up what information he could on all things Miraculous since he left. He thanked God that Alya’s blog, which was bookmarked on his phone browser, kept detailed records, especially of every attack in Paris. He wanted to know what he was dealing with and poured over every video to find out what powers the Qilin Miraculous had.

The closer he got to Paris, the more self-conscious he felt. What if people recognized him? It’s been ten years, but he didn’t think he’d changed that much. He shook himself out of his thoughts multiple times. It didn’t matter if someone recognized him as Adrien Agreste. What was important was that he help Marinette. She was why he was there. 

When he arrived at Gare de Lyon, he disembarked and rushed to the station exits. The station itself hadn’t changed much, though once he reached the street, he stopped to take it in. 

There he was, back in the place he’d sworn never to return to. The streets and cars and random passersby were loud. There were so many things to look at. Ads and shops pulled his attention. It was nothing like the peace and quiet of his mountain town. 

“So...are we heading to Marinette’s place?” Plagg asked from the pocket of his coat. “If so, we’ll need to get back on the metro-”

“No...I....” Adrien hesitated. He looked down at his feet. They weren’t moving. 

“Kid,” Plagg said, in a disapproving voice. “Don’t tell me you’ve come all this way just to chicken out.”

“No, that’s not it,” he said. “I’m just....” His chest was tight. “Nervous.” 

“About what?” Plagg sounded exasperated. “You studied up on the Miraculous you’re up against. Marinette and Luka are probably waiting for you at home as we speak. Not to mention I’m hungry and still have a wheel of camembert in the cupboard at their place. We should just go-”

The screeching of car tires was heard and Adrien snapped his head in that direction. People on the street all turned and he saw people further away running towards them. A thunderous boom was heard and Adrien lifted his head, catching sight of a dark cloud rolling towards them high above. A feeling on anticipation churned in the pit of his stomach, telling him to prepare himself.

He narrowed his eyes. It was just like he saw in the videos. Somewhere in the storm clouds was the Qilin Miraculous user and the thunder was the sound of entities of mist and an elemental energy landing on the ground. Depending on what element they were connected to, that is what they would use to attack. They seemed to be powered by a jewel on their foreheads, as that’s what’d he’d seen clips of Ladybug trying to dislodge. 

From what he studied on the train, an elemental was summoned to flush Ladybug out and capture her. She seemed to be the main target and even if someone else was with her, that wielder was all but ignored.

“Let’s see it try to ignore me,” Adrien said in a low voice as he glared at the building sized goliath rounding the corner. 

He raced back into the station, jumping over the gate to bypass the crowd and transform. 

“I hope you’re not rusty!” Plagg said as Adrien skidded to a stop around a corner. 

Adrien smirked. “Hardly. Plagg! _Transform moi_!” The light swept through him, replacing his clothes with a black suit that hugged his body. The familiar transformation didn’t feel at all straight. It was almost refreshing. 

He emerged back into the street and reached back to get his baton. He gripped it in his clawed hand and grinned. He didn’t think he’d miss holding it, but there he was, ready to jump back into action and protect the people. 

“It’s a water elemental!” he heard a familiar voice and he caught sight of someone in green not too far away. A wide smile filled his face.

“Carapace!”

“I’ll lead him away from the crowd!” A woman in orange was jumping across the rooftop, the tails of her top fluttering behind her.

“Rena Rouge....”

“I did a reset point just in case!” Viperion was running down the street, towards the same direction Rena Rouge was going. “Carapace, keep your shields on the people. Ladybug will get it when it’s clear!”

A rush of energy fill Chat Nor and he followed, opting to stay hidden in the alleys. Appearing suddenly could throw them off and cause a problem. The elemental lumbered away from the crowded station and towards a nearby park. That must be where Ladybug was waiting. 

He crossed the street, keeping a low profile as he scanned the area. Ladybug was not difficult to find in red. He drew his head back a little, noticing the alternation in her standard skintight spotted suit. It was looser at the top, doing a decent job of hiding her pregnancy bump. Still...that didn’t make it safe. The suit could only do so much. 

The elemental’s loud footsteps filled the park as it approached and he saw Rena Rouge continue to play her flute and lure the giant forward.

“Lucky Charm!” There was a flash of light from the corner of his eye and he turned just as a trampoline landed in front of Ladybug. She looked at it with disdain, wondering what she was going to use it for.

The elemental roared in front of her, as if reminding them that it was there and readying to fight. She kicked the trampoline upright and braced herself behind it as the creature leaned back, as if taking a deep breath, and threw its body forward, opening its mouth and sending a wave of water towards Ladybug. 

She shut her eyes and held up her arm to hold the trampoline as a shield. 

“Whoa, there! Shouldn’t you be taking it easy right now?” Her head snapped up just as the water hit the trampoline, held in place as a shield by a man in black. Water gushed past them, on either side of them as he stood in holding the barrier in place and shielding her from any water that would break through. 

He couldn’t hear much past the roar of the water, but he did hear her voice. 

“Chat Noir?” 

He held out his baton and extended it across the trampoline, hooking it between metal parts on either side so he could lift it with one hand from the center. He gave her a playful wink, enjoying the look of surprise and relief on her face. 

Without a word he held out his arm. “Cataclysm!” A dark, glowing light consumed his right hand as he turned around and jumped. He held the trampoline to the side as he neared the head of the elemental. He could see the jewel on its forehead, as well as the creature preparing for another attack. Using the trampoline to hide his body, he tossed it to the side the moment the elemental threw its head forward to release the water. The water canon from its mouth followed the trampoline, not realizing that Chat Noir emerged from the other direction. 

He reached forward and grabbed the jewel, destroying it in an instant. 

The elemental’s body of smoke and energy dissipated like fog beneath the sun and by the time Chat Noir landed on the grass, it was gone. 

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug cried out from behind him and he turned around. Wary of her stomach, she tried to cross the lawn to get to him as quickly as possible without running. It looked like an awkward trot with her cupping her belly. He smiled at the sight of her and ran towards her. 

As his arms caught Ladybug, he lowered his head and pressed his forehead against hers. 

“My lady,” he said, a smile still on his face. “I’m home.” 

* * *

**An Unnecessary Epilogue To Deal With Angst**

_Six Months Later, 11th Arrondissement_

The window was open and her gentle humming could be heard from the balcony as they landed silently on the iron floor. The light inside the room was a soft white as a figure paced the living area with a dark-haired infant in her arms. The woman paid no mind to the two men who slipped into her home and pulled the curtains closed. 

“Is she asleep yet?” Viperion moved closer and looked down at the little copy of his wife. 

“Almost.” Marinette’s voice was a hushed whisper. “She just finished eating.”

“Did she finish her bottle this time?” A man in a tight red suit with black spots lifted his hand to stroke the thin black hairs from the baby’s face. “She was fussy all afternoon.” 

“That’s because when she’s at home with Papa Adrien, all she wants to do is play and forgets about everything else,” Marinette said. She smiled as he tilted her chin upwards so he could kiss her. 

“Sass, _transform moi_.” 

“Tikki, _transform moi_.” A teal and red light swept through the two men respectively and the little baby in Marinette’s arms wrinkled her nose and clenched her tiny fists.

“Uh-oh....” Tikki said, floating above. 

“You should’ve transformed in the other room.” Plagg scolded them as he came from the nursery, a burping cloth gripped in his arms as he replaced the stained one on Marinette’s shoulder. Emma began to cry and he glared at the two men. “Now you’ve bothered her!” 

“Sorry.” Luka grimaced. “We’ll transform out of sight next time.” 

“It’s okay, Princess, it’s okay...” Plagg cooed as he stroked the baby’s head. 

“I never thought I’d see the day when Plagg willingly becomes a babysitter,” Tikki said in a droll voice. 

Sass chuckled. “His indifferent attitude makes him feel unthreatening to Emma.”

“Also I’m cute and look like a cat,” Plagg said with a cheeky grin. 

“I’ve got her.” Adrien took the burping cloth that Plagg placed on Marinette’s shoulder and put it on his own. He lifted their baby from her arms and rested her against him. He spent his days with Emma while Luka and Marinette worked downstairs. They’d come up on breaks and to eat, giving Adrien a sort of schedule. In the two months since she was born, he started to feel awkward when she wasn’t at the very least nearby.

He was worried how he’d adjust to an infant, having heard all about the sleepless nights and facing the fears of first time parents from their friends, but he adjusted quite easily. In fact, he loved it. He loved taking care of her and watching her and watching Luka and Marinette take care of her. 

When he returned six months earlier, he thought he would stay at least until the duration of Marinette’s pregnancy to support her as Chat Noir and, later, as Mister Bug, depending on what was needed. He wanted to be there when Emma was born and felt an urge to love and take care of the child. 

However, the circumstances of his own father haunted him. It was a deep seeded fear he was hesitant to talk about and hid beneath his genuine enthusiasm and excitement waiting for the baby to be born. He should’ve known he could only hold it inside for so long. 

Wracked with fear that he’d become a terrible father, he broke down at the hospital when Marinette was giving birth. Tom pulled him aside and told him he was not his father and that he was a good man. A good man who loved his daughter and would make a fine father to his grandchild. 

“Son, having a bad parent doesn’t make you a bad parent, just like having a good parent doesn’t necessarily make you a good one. You know what you _shouldn’t_ do and knowing that is something you can use to be a good parent.” Tom smacked him in the back a few times to comfort him. “Besides, you won’t be alone. You got Marinette and Luka, me and Sabine. Anarka’s there and Nino and Alya have their own twins to deal with. You’ll be fine.” 

It was a support system Adrien needed even before Emma was born. 

After that fight in the park the moment he got off the train, they took him to Luka and Marinette’s apartment. Marinette cried. Nino cried. Alya yelled at him and cried. Luka seemed the only calm one, but that night, wouldn’t let Adrien go. 

For the first month, Adrien refused to leave the flat unless there was an emergency that required him to transform. When he finally left to accompany Marinette to a doctor’s appointment, he was jumpy and anxious. He kept looking over his shoulder and feeling as if he were being stared at. 

But no one came up to him. No one gave him a double take and then muttered with disgust. His face had long been out of the people’s attention and while he still didn’t leave the flat often, he would go to their friends’ homes and small restaurants. 

The only big news was about Chat Noir’s return and then Mister Bug’s reappearance. That much, he didn’t mind. Chat Noir and Mister Bug were well loved by the populace.

Still, every now and then, as Chat Noir, he’d remember what he had to do while wearing the suit. He’d fight back the painful memories and talk with Marinette and Luka about fighting his own father as Chat Noir to try to come to terms with those memories. He still hadn’t gotten over them and he doubted he ever fully would. 

Accepting that those wounds would never fully heal and that it was okay did settle his heart a bit. He couldn’t bring himself to visit his parents’ graves yet, but there was no rush. He wasn’t fully comfortable back in Paris, but inside the flat with Marinette and Luka, he was happy. They’d gone back to his cabin a few times before the baby was born and planned to return in the winter for ‘Emma’s first snow trip’. 

A few times, he wanted to stay longer, missing the peace of the Alps. They would insist on staying with him and he’d swore that he would go back to Paris, but knew it made them anxious to leave him behind, so they’d stay another day and then return. 

Over all, it was not a perfect transition back and Adrien was still trying to deal with his past, but he was surrounded by people who loved him and wanted him there. It made the return worth it. Sometimes, he found himself wondering: what if he’d come home sooner?

“How did the fire go?” Marinette asked as she gathered the empty bottle from the coffee table. Adrien gently patted Emma’s back as she calmed down against him.

“It didn’t take long to handle,” Luka replied. He sat on the long couch and Adrien took a seat next to him, with Emma almost between them. “Adrien’s doing a great job as Mister Bug.” 

“Thanks, Luka.”

“He looks good in the suit, too.” He leaned over and kissed the top of Adrien’s head.

“Wait a second,” Marinette said, returning from the kitchen. “Who’s better in the suit?”

“Without contest, the original.” Luka extended his arm, past Adrien’s shoulders, to reach Marinette on the other side. She snuggled closer to Adrien as Luka’s hand stroked her head. 

“No one is as breathtaking as you, my lady.” Adrien added with a kiss. 

She giggled. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot since I was trying to get this little girl to sleep.” She stroked Emma’s back and looked at the two men with a warm smile. “Welcome home.” 

Adrien relished those words he hadn’t heard for ten years alone in the mountains. “I’m happy to be back.” 

* * *

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading!
> 
> I figured I’d write something...it's Bastille Day, isn't it? 
> 
> I hope you all are staying safe and doing your best to keep others safe, too. I can’t do much, but I hope these stories help cheer you up a little. 
> 
> Well...maybe not this one. Please comment if this at all made you cry...for science. I added that domestic part at the end so the first half of angst doesn’t consume and depress anyone, although I didn't think it was necessary. The trio lived happily ever after; everything is fine. 
> 
> Much love,  
> damagectrl


End file.
